BG has long been an affectionate boy, but he is even more so lately. He especially loves hugging J and I together. He has these moments when one of us is holding him and he gathers his other mom in to join the love fest that inevitably lasts a few minutes. It’s the best feeling. He’ll hug back and forth, all the while saying “Awwww,” and then he’ll pucker up for kisses from each of us.

Yesterday, he took this family love fest to a whole new level. J and I were working through a problem, and because we’re both emotional people, we were crying a little. It was a very low-key exchange, but we were emoting. BG had been playing by himself, but he saw us and decided to come over where we were. He picked up his big stuffed bear, whom he loves to hug, and then he asked to get up on my lap. I picked him up, and he indicated he wanted me to hug Bear, so I hugged Bear. He then hugged me with bear, and then, he grabbed for J and pulled her in for a big family hug with Bear in the middle. It was such a lovely moment, and we were awed by our boy’s sensitivity.

But then he did something that blew us away. As usual, he puckered to kiss each of us, so we both kissed him. But then he placed one of his hands on each of our faces, and he pulled our faces toward each other so that we would kiss. We did, and he continued to hug us together. We both wept.

I’m in awe of this moment. I know I’m biased and I’m inclined to think my child is special, but he really is. He’s got such a big heart, and he is already so beautifully empathetic. I only hope we can continue to foster this in him.